Questions over the ‘absolute chaos’ on the Isle of Wight’s highways have been raised after hundreds of roadworks started in each of the first 3 months of this year.
Labour councillor Jock Rafferty asked ‘what went wrong’ at the economy, regeneration, transport and infrastructure committee (ERTIC) last Thursday (23rd July) following a presentation from Island Roads.
Jimmy Wells, network manager for the service provider, told councillors over 12,000 applications to work on the highways were received in 2025/26, with around 1,000 coming through a month.
A total of 7,934 permitting applications were granted in 2025/26.
Cllr Rafferty said:
“Looking from the general public’s point of view, it looks like there’s absolute chaos on the Island’s road. Is this as good as it gets? Is it going to get any better?
“Are we going to be expecting this for the next five years?”
Simon Moon, strategic director of community services, responded:
“I’ve been in post three months now and I’m very clear that roadworks – what’s going on is a major issue for residents, businesses and all members of this council. So, it has to improve.
“We have a responsibility as the highway authority with our partners, who we ask to deliver these services through Island Roads, to first of all deliver our own works in line with the best practice that we can possibly adopt but also hold utility companies to account.
“Some of my reflections of what I’ve seen in the first three months is we’re not doing that consistently and strongly enough with some of these utility operators.”
He said any utility company will say there is an ‘emergency’ and can get onto the network ‘quite quickly’.
But referring to statistics shared by Island Roads, Mr Moon said that while a lot of the works are probably ‘urgent’ they are not emergencies.
He said:
“We need to call that out, I don’t think we’re calling it out”.
The officer said a lot of resources and pressure has to be applied to tackle this, with ‘some tough conversations’.
Mr Moon added that if these don’t take place, matters will not change which he said was not ‘acceptable’.
Why are they always CLOSING roads now? Most of the closures I’ve witnessed are totally avoidable and only ONE side of the road needs to be closed. Traffic lights should be reinstated Island wide to enable driver’s to access their destination without going on a 10 mile diversion!! I witnessed this very recently outside Co-op, Mill Hill. A hole dug in ONE side of the road and a lorry parked adjacent! Just move the damn lorry!! Oh, and 2 guy’s leaning against a garden wall smoking!! Good look, Island Roads!! Maybe employ men that don’t need frequent ‘fag’ breaks…
Island Roads operatives speciality is fa breaks, fast food breaks
and texting breaks.
they should be paid by output of work.
Majority of them woildn’t earn £100 a week
Bring back peace work, more would get done that way.
Rafferty, like Dore, Jones-Evans and many other so called “Councillors”, talk a good talk and make complaints as though they ordinary members of the public, who are constantly complaining about Island Roads.
Moon, who has been “in post” for just 3 months says: ““Some of my reflections of what I’ve seen in the first three months is we’re not doing that consistently and strongly enough with some of these utility operators.”
Well Mr Moon YOU are supposed to be the Strategic Director, so why not do YOUR job and DIRECT instead of giving us your “reflections”?
Rafferty and Dore need to lead the whole Council AND Moon to start playing hardball with these idiots IR who think they can do as they like, when they like.
It has to stop.
It’s a case of the clueless v the useless
None of them have a clue what they are doing
‘All overpaid and not needed’
A.I could replace the lot of them and plan road works
more efficiently.
Island roads have an all encompassing contract with the council, until that runs out or is materially altered for the benefit of road users then nothing will change, when was the last time a utility company was fined for overunning their permit or poorly repairing a surface that had to be re- done by island roads, probably never. When did island roads say to all the utilities within the next 12 months other than unforeseen emergenices what roads are you going to dig up so we can coordinate it with all the other utilities.
Island roads have a contract to do the work but the authority and obligation to ensure disruption is minimised has always been with the council.
It is good that they are finally acknowledging that.
The next step needs to be looking onto lane rental where contractors and utilities have to pay to close or obstruct a road. It is amazing how closures have become less essential in areas where this has been suggested.
The Council must stop abdicating it’s responsibilities. The Council has statutory responsibility for all of this as the Highways Authority and has no business farming it out to some fly-by-night cowboy outfit. By all means employ a contractor to do the repairs, although in house would mean more accountability, but that does not mean handing over all statutory responsibilities to that mere contractor.
Leaving decision-making on who can dig up and obstruct the King’s Highways to some incompetent, unaccountable jobsworth, who probably shirks from home and, therefore, doesn’t need to get around the island through all the chaos he creates is utter madness and a shameful failure of duty.